Smelting-furnace



W. FIELDS. smelting-Furnace.

NVPEI'ERS. PHOTO-UTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D C 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

Patented May 11. I880.

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. FIELDS.

Smeltin-g-Purnace. No. 227,51 Patented May 11, I880.

" PETERS. PHOTO-l ITNOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. u C.

'NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FIELDS, OF WILMINGTON, DEIIAWVARE.

'SMELTlNG-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Application filed thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to hydrocarbon-furnaces for smelting gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc ores.

The invention consists in a furnace embodyin g a removable receptacle for burning crude petroleum or other hydrocarbon, an improved draft-stack, a blast, a well for receiving the melted ore and separating the metal and slag, and dampers for-regulating and controlling the draft, as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which corresponding parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a horizontal cros's section on line mwof Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the hydrocarbon-receptacle, partly broken to show its internal shape; and Fig. 5, a

partly-sectional perspective of a portion of the stack and means for collecting and saving the fine particles of metal that may be forced into the stack.

A designates a brick or other hearth having a well, B, which, as will hereinafter appear, is designed to receive the smelted oroxrged separate the slag and metal, the former g drawn off at the mouth 0 and the latter at the mouth D. E is a duct leading from the hearth proper, L, to the well B.

F is a chamber arranged above the hearth, and having a door, G, and a register or damper, H, in said door. This chamberF is designed o receive through its door a fire-brick or equivalent refractory vessel, 1. This vessel is an annular trough, the trough proper, K, being formed between two annular walls, the inner wall making a central orifice, M. This vessel I is designed to receive crude petroleum or Patent No. 227,510, dated May 11, 1880.

January 17, 1880.

otherhydrocarbon, which may be ignited by the blaze from the live coals'in hearth L, and is constructed with the inner wall lower than troleum that may possibly occur to fall on the hearth, thus preventing its passage to the outside through the door G. Said ring has also a suitable means of communication from outside the chamber, as shown in Fig. 2.

N is the furnace proper, in which the ore to be smelted is properly p1acedviz., a layer of fuel and a layer of ore, and so on, until filled. This furnace has a water-space, O, surrounding it, and is lined with fire-brick or other suitable refractory material, P. From thelower part of the furnace aflange, h, extends inward to the edge of the orifice M. Q Q are doors provided at the top and bottom, respectively, of the furnace for ready access to its interior, the lower door being specially valuable in permittin g access to a part of the furnace requiring most frequent repairs. The furnace is crowned with a dome, R,terminating in a short stack, S. Exterior to this stack is the ordinary stack T, and this latter is provided at its base with air-inlets a, regulated by a sliding covering-ring, c.

' As the furnace is heated up, theascending column of heated products of combustion through the stack S creates a draft in the stack, whereby the external air is drawn in, and becoming heated rises rapidly, drawing the gases from below through the short stack and intensifies the draft in the'furnace. The stack T may have the ordinary damper T, Fig. 5, for controlling the draft. The water-jacket O has an inlet, a, and an outlet, d. The well B may have a removable cover, B.

Blast-pipes or tuyeres e emay be arranged above and below (either or both) the oilreceptacle I.

In smelting ores With the blast, fine particles of metal are blown up the stack and so lost. In order to prevent this I insert a goose-neck, V, in the stack and flare out its inner end, as at W, so as to nearly fill'the stack. This gooseneck extends thence to receiver U, whereby these fine particles are collected and saved.

The draft over the hydrocarbon may be regulated by the damper or register H in the door G, and by means of this door the said vessel the outer wall, to compel any overflow of pe-- may be readily removed, renewed, or replaced while the furnace is even at white heat.

The operation is as follows: The furnace having been filled with alternate layers of fuel and ore, the lower layer being of charcoal, the fire is kindled in the hearth L, the hydrocarbon in the vessel I ignited, and the blow begun. As the metal melts it flows down with the slag through an opening in the bottom of the furnace that registers with the opening M of the receptacle I, and thence through the duct E into the well 13, where it and the accompanying slag are separated, as before described.

The use of a hydrocarbon prevents a low or chill of the sme] ted ores and greatly facilitates the operation of smelting.

By my invention I get the combined heat of the gases of hydrogen and oxygen and carbon, and thus obtain a very intense heat.

What I claim is 1. The combination of a furnace, N, a hydrocarbon-burning chamber intermediate of the 4. A smelting-furnace crowned with a dome.

terminating in a short stack, S, surmounted by an exterior stack, T, provided at its base with air-inletsfor inducing an increased draft by introducing air to mingle with the products of combustion, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FIELDS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. HAGANY, E. S. HAGANY. 

